July 24, 2018

I am incredibly proud of the fact that Mercy Home is a safe place for all our children. All too often, I hear heart-wrenching stories from the young men and women who arrive at our door. The stories of abuse and neglect are enough to make anyone feel hopeless about the state of the world. That is why I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of hurting children—children like 13-year-old Ethan.

Ethan couldn’t even remember when he started getting hit. His dad always had a bad temper, and he took it out on Ethan and his mom. One of Ethan’s earliest memories was hiding under his bed in an attempt to hide from his dad’s wrath.

To make matters worse, Ethan’s dad had a drinking problem. The nights he came home drunk were the worst nights of all. Sometimes Ethan would be awakened by his mother’s screams. Other times, his dad would bypass his mom and fling open Ethan’s bedroom door, yelling incoherently. Ethan was regularly beaten for doing anything his father deemed as wrong, real or imagined.

As Ethan got older, he felt increasingly hopeless about his situation. He had tried calming down his father when he was in a rage, but that never worked. He tried to defend his mother, but that only made his dad angrier. He was worried that there would never be a way to stop his dad from hurting him or his mom.

Compounding the problem was the enormous amount of shame Ethan felt over the whole situation. He thought he could never tell anyone what was going on. What if they didn’t believe him? And what if his father found out he was sharing what went on in their home? This made it hard for Ethan to make friends. He tried to speak as little as possible to his peers, lest the truth come out. And he could certainly never invite anyone over to his house.

As the years of abuse stretched on, Ethan spiraled into a deep depression. He was certain that he must be a bad kid. Why else would his dad always be so angry with him? He considered running away from home, but he was afraid of leaving his mother. Finally, Ethan decided he had enough and knew he had to tell someone what was going on at home.

Ethan decided to confide in his teacher. As the story of all Ethan had endured over his short life came out, his teacher knew that Ethan’s home was not a safe place for him. She immediately contacted Mercy Home. After learning that we could provide him with a safe place to live, Ethan agreed to move in.

The years of abuse had taken a toll on Ethan. When he first arrived at Mercy Home, he was shy, fearful, and exhausted. He didn’t want to open up about his experiences to his therapist or the other boys. For many months, Ethan struggled. We were all extremely worried about him. But then, one day in a group therapy session, another young man began to share his experience of physical abuse. It struck Ethan that he wasn’t the only one who had gone through being abused, and he bravely decided to share his story, too.

Once that happened, everything began to change. Ethan slowly became more open with my coworkers and the other boys about what had happened to him at home. He found that sharing his story was helpful and allowed the healing process to truly begin. After a lot of work, Ethan found the talkative and confident boy that was only waiting to come out.

I am so grateful to our Partners in Prayer who allow us to provide a safe place for kids who are in need like Ethan. You are part of a life-saving mission. Thank you!

I am so grateful to our Partners in Prayer who allow us to provide a safe place for kids who are in need like Ethan. You are part of a life-saving mission. Thank you!

A special partnership for the sake of Mercy’s kids and for our televised Sunday Mass

You can make a difference in the life of a troubled child. Fr. Scott needs Partners to pray for our kids at Mercy Home–and also faithful Partners to help broadcast Sunday Mass at Mercy Home.

By pledging your support and your prayers, you’re offering a precious gift to Mercy’s kids–and helping our community of faith join together every week.

The boys and girls of Mercy Home are very proud of the difference they are able to make just by sharing their time and heart with others. None of this would be possible without our kind, faithful supporters, for not only sharing their friendship but for also setting an example of generosity and compassion for them to follow. During this month, please keep the young people of Mercy Home and all of our generous benefactors in your thoughts and prayers.